Guardian Angel
by HermioneRose
Summary: Everything is going smooth now that the Wildcats have offically adopted Angel. But, Lucas is afraid that Angel will taken away from him and friends, so what happens when that time finally comes? Will he fight for this little girl to stay with them?
1. Swimming Lessons

**Author's Note: Yeah, I know chapter one is little strange, but bare with me. I lost the PM that had all the ideas that Autumn gave me, but I do remember one briefly, so hopefully I can find the PM! But, enjoy, and happy reading!**

**Chapter One: Swimming Lessons**

"Don't let go!"

"I won't, I promise."

Everyone had the day off today, and Lucas Grabeel was teaching Angel Robinson how to swim (she never learned while being in the hospital).

Or, rather, he was _trying _to teach her how to swim!

Lucas was holding Angel while being in the country club pool, and Angel was staring at the water fearfully.

"Are you sure?" Angel asked, and Lucas smiled.

"I'm sure. But, you need to trust me. Alright?"

Angel nodded, and Lucas placed her in the water, and Angel started to whimper.

"Trust me, remember? I'd never let anything happen to you."

Lucas let go of Angel, and Angel began to splash around, and pretty soon, he heard her laugh.

He realized she learned how to doggy paddle, and Lucas began to laugh himself as Angel swam laps around him.

"Well, aren't you a little fish? We should call you 'Angelfish'." Lucas suggested, grinning, and Angel glanced up at him.

"No! I want to be a mermaid."

Last night, Ashley Tisdale gotten her hands on a copy of _The Little Mermaid_ (the newer version, with Ashley's music video in it), and Lucas, Angel, and Ashley sat down and watched it in the lounge.

"A mermaid, huh? You don't want to be an Angelfish? I think it suits you better than a mermaid." Lucas replied, and he saw Angel's eyes light up.

"Wait! I don't want to be a mermaid! I want to be a princess!"

Lucas chuckled at the reference to Princess Tiki.

"Okay, so let me get this straight: you don't want to be an Angelfish or a mermaid, but a princess instead?"

"Yeah!"

The things kids say these days, right?

"Well, Ariel is a princess, remember?"

Angel stopped doing laps around Lucas to look at him.

"Yeah..."

"So, you can still be a princess _and _a mermaid."

If anyone else saw this, they might have thought that Lucas was crazy: but, Angel was only six-years old, so explaining that a mermaid was really a princess wasn't really that crazy after all.

"You're teaching Angel how to swim?"

Lucas and Angel looked up to see Ashley looming over to them, and Lucas smiled at her.

"Yeah. I figured why start now than later?"

Angel swam over to Ashley, while calling out, "Ashley Tisdale! Come in the water with me and Lucas!"

Ashley laughed as she looked at the little girl.

"I'd love too, Angel. But, I don't think I have the proper attire."

Lucas looked at Ashley's outfit, and smirked: a baby-doll shirt with a white tank-top, jeans, and flip-flops.

Angel noticed Ashley's outfit, and frowned.

"Oh."

"But, I can stick my feet in the water, though." Ashley said, kicking off her flip-flops, and placing her feet in the water, making the little girl feel slightly better.

She then looked at Lucas.

"Well, it's nice that you're teaching her, but what about her...problem?"

Lucas sighed at the word, _problem_.

"I'm watching out for her, don't worry."

Ashley gave him a look that read, _I hope so_, and Lucas shook his head as he looked back at Angel, who was still swimming around.

It looked to Lucas that she didn't want to get out just then, but it didn't seem that way when Lucas started the lesson.

He smiled when he saw that she got the hang of swimming on her back: let's see if she wanted to go on her back.

"Hey, Angel. Ready to swim on your back?" Lucas asked, and Angel looked at him.

"I don't know...it sounds scary. What if I drown?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ashley trying to hold a laugh in, but then he returned his gaze towards Angel.

"It isn't scary. Look, I'll show you."

Lucas got on his back, and Angel giggled when he kicked his feet, and swam around her.

"Yay! I wanna try! I wanna try!"

For the next half-hour, Lucas taught everything (that was simple and easy for her to do) on her back, that when it was time to get out, Angel didn't want to leave: the very opposite of what the beginning of the lesson was.

"It's time to get out, Angel." Lucas stated, starting to climb up the pool steps, and Angel just just stood here, not moving.

"No. I like it in here." Angel explained, and Ashley smirked.

"Looks like we got ourselves a water bug."

Lucas sighed as Ashley headed back towards the hotel, and got back into the water to fetch Angel.

"Angel, you're going to get sick if you stay in the pool for too long. Come on: it's time to get out."

"No!"

It almost seemed to match the time that Angel wouldn't come out of the playhouse at the hospital because she didn't want to see her social worker, so Zac had to say that they were serving cookies in the cafeteria.

"Okay, have it your way: but, if you stay in there, me and Ashley will have to watch the new movie she got just for you."

Angel raised an eyebrow.

"What is that, Lucas Grabeel?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing speical...just _Fox And The Hound 2_." Lucas explained, and he smiled when Angel slowly started to swim over to him.

"Don't leave me..."

At that point, Lucas knew a sob would break out soon, and he went back into the pool to fetch her.

"I'm not going to leave you. You need to follow some rules around here, and that means when one of us says it's time to get out, understand? Otherwise, something bad will happen to you, and we don't want that."

Angel nodded as she took hold of Lucas' hand, and Lucas helped her get dried off and clothed, and they headed towards the hotel to see Ashley.

Ashley smirked when she saw them in the doorway.

"I thought she wanted to stay in longer."

Lucas shook his head as he released her hand, and Angel went to go sit down next to Ashley.

"No. I told her we're going to be watching _Fox And The Hound 2_ tonight, so she got out."

Ashley nodded as Lucas setted up the movie, and then went to go sit next to Angel, so she was in between them.

As the movie played, Lucas thought about what he said to Angel:

If he ever did lose her, he didn't know what he'd do.

And he wasn't prepared to lose her just yet.


	2. Baseball Mayhem

**Author's Note: Some of this story is in **_italics _**because of **I Don't Dance**, and Angel isn't really shown in this chapter as much as the last chapter, but she's in some of the beginning. If you have any ideas for **Touched By An Angel**, let me know! Enjoy, and happy reading!**

**Chapter Two: Baseball Mayhem**

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and because there was such perfect weather outside, Kenny decided that they should do "I Don't Dance": the real version.

"Angel, do you want to see a baseball game?" Lucas asked, and Angel looked up from the picture she was doing a table.

"Yeah, yeah!" Angel explained, jumping down from the chair, and grabbing hold of Lucas' hand as they made their way towards the baseball field.

Monique Coleman, Vanessa Hudgens, Corbin Bleu, and Kenny Oterga were already there, waiting for him.

"Sorry. I wanted to see if Angel wanted to watch." Lucas told them, dropping Angel off by the sidelines, and Kenny looked at Lucas and Corbin while Vanessa and Monique went to go stand near Angel, who had her fingers in the holes of the metal fence.

"Okay. This is the real deal. If you mess up, we have to start all over again, so let's make this one count."

Lucas and Corbin nodded as they got into position: Lucas on the pitcher's mount, and Corbin was ready at home plate.

The music started to play, and Lucas smiled.

"_Hey, batter, batter, hey batter, batter swing._"

_"I've got to do my thing._"

"_Hey batter, batter, hey, batter--"_

Lucas stopped in mid-song as he heard another voice singing, and he smirked when he found out it was Angel: singing to her heart's content along with Lucas and Corbin, and Vanessa and Monique were trying not to laugh.

Kenny groaned, and shook his head.

"Angel."

Angel stopped singing, and looked at Kenny.

"Yeah?"

"Uh...we're right in the middle of doing a music scene. Can you stop singing, or just sing under your breath?"

Angel nodded, and Kenny looked at Lucas.

"Alright. Just take it from the top again, Lucas."

The music started up again, and Lucas contuined his cue:

"_--batter swing._

_I'll show you that it's one and the same:_

_Baseball, dancing, same game._

_It's easy:_

_Step up to the plate, start swingin'._"

"_I wanna play ball now, and that's all._

_This is what I do._

_It ain't no dance that you can show me."_

"_You'll never know if you try._"

"_There's just one little--_"

This time, it was Corbin who got cut off, and Lucas grinned as Angel's voice floated out on to the baseball field.

"Angel!" Lucas called, and Angel stopped singing.

"Yeah?"

Lucas just had to laugh.

"Stop it. You're going to mess us up."

Angel frowned, and lowered her head.

"Sorry."

Once again, the music contuined, and Corbin began where he left off.

"--_that stops me ev'ry time._

_Yeah._"

"_Come on_!"

"_I don't dance_."

"_I know you can."_

"_Not a chance_."

"_If I can do this, well, you can do that._"

"_But, I don't dance."_

"_Hit it out of the park!_"

_"I don't dance."_

"_I say you can--_"

Again, they were broken off by Angel singing, and Lucas looked over at Monique and Vanessa.

"Will you tell her to be quiet?"

Vanessa giggled as she looked at him.

"Sorry, Lucas. I guess she just likes to sing." Vanessa replied, tossuling Angel's hair, and kenny sighed as he looked at Corbin and Lucas.

"Take five, everyone. Lucas, why don't you go talk to Angel? Or maybe bring her to Zac or someone."

Apparently, Kenny wasn't a big fan of Angel at the moment.

Ryan stepped off the pitcher's mount, and Corbin walked along beside him.

"I don't see what the big deal is...it's cute that's she's singing along." Corbin said, and Lucas shook his head.

"Well, Kenny doesn't see that, I'm afraid."

Corbin and Lucas went to go join Vanessa, Monique, and Angel at the sidelines, and Angel frowned when the two boys walked up to them.

"Hey! Why did you stop singing?" Angel asked, and Lucas looked at her.

"Angel, whenever we do a scene such as this, you have to be quiet, or we'll lose focus. Same goes for when we say our lines. If you do something to distract us, we will have to start over."

Angel glanced at her shoes, and dug into the dirt.

"I'm sorry."

Vanessa bent down to Angel's height, and placed an caring arm around her.

"Hey, it's okay! We love it that you are enjoying every scene that we do, but like Lucas said, you need to be quiet so we are focused."

Angel nodded, and Vanessa took hold of Angel's hand.

"I'll be right back. Maybe Zac can entertain her."

When Vanessa and Angel left, Corbin shook his head.

"She just likes to get herself into trouble, doesn't she?"

Lucas smirked as he sat down on a bleacher.

"I guess she does. But, she's just having fun. I don't think she ever got that while she was hospital, surrounded by nurses and Mrs. Ashbury."

"Whatever happened to her?" Monique asked as they each took a spot next to Lucas.

"Zac told me she got fired, and Mr. Larson kicked her out for not being a proper social worker."

"Whatever made her decide why she wanted to be a social worker is beyond me. I doubt she even likes kids that much." Corbin replied, and Lucas grinned.

"Or maybe she just wanted to see them suffer." Lucas stated, and Corbin laughed as Monique rolled her eyes.

"You guys are rays of sunshine." she exclaimed, and that made Lucas laugh as well, and Corbin laughed even harder, and when Vanessa came back, she raised an eyebrow as Corbin and Lucas were shaking with laughter.

"Do I even want to know what happened?" she asked Monique, and Monique shook her head.

"No reason. Just two, laughing goofballs." Monique told her, and Vanessa grinned as Lucas and Corbin stopped laughing.

"So...where's Angel?" Lucas asked, recovering from laughter, and Vanessa glanced at him.

"She's with Zac and Ashley." Vanessa responded, and they nodded.

"We were just talking about Mrs. Ashbury." Monique commented.

"She got fired because Mr. Larson didn't think she was a proper social worker." Corbin explained, and Vanessa frowned.

"Guys--"

But, Kenny walked over to them.

"Okay, guys. Break's over."

As Lucas passed Vanessa, he looked at her.

"What's wrong?"

Vanessa shook her head.

"Nothing...just nothing."

Lucas walked out on to the pitcher's mount, but he glanced back at Vanessa, whose frown dug deeper into her face.

Did she know something that they don't?


	3. Mrs Ashbury Is Back

**Author's Note: Ooooo! Drama! "This is where it gets juicey!" Okay, lol. Welcome to chapter three! This is where things get pretty intense, so sorry if it sounds cheesy. I wanted to make it realistic and believeable as I could. On Friday and some of Saturday, I'll be gone, so I won't update on those two days. Enjoy, and happy reading!**

**Chapter Three: Mrs. Ashbury Comes Back**

Lucas had double baby-sitting duty:

Watching both Angel _and _Maui!

The child and dog were on the ground, playing, while Lucas was reading over his script.

Lucas glanced over his script, and smiled as Angel ran after Maui, with Maui barking up a storm.

Suddenly, he looked over at the other chair, which his hat (well, really, "Ryan's" hat), and realized that Maui had taken it!

"Maui!" Lucas scowled Maui, and Angel laughed as Lucas tried to pry the hat out of Maui's mouth, but Maui wouldn't let go.

"Maui, let go!" Lucas replied, but Maui only growled.

"Lucas, be careful! You might hurt her!"

Lucas glanced up from playing tug-o-war with the little dog, as Ashley walked near them, with a frown on her face.

Lucas got up, and Maui walked over to Ashley, and Maui dropped the hat near her feet, and Ashley picked it up, and handed it back to Lucas.

"I did not hurt her. She always steals my hats from me..."

Ashley shook her head as she picked up Maui.

"Don't be so silly, Lucas. She's just playing."

Lucas glared at the little dog.

He liked Blondie better: atleast she listened!

"Ashley, she's a little terror! I swear!"

"Sure, Lucas, and there's really a Wicked Witch of the West."

Lucas shook his head, and looked at Angel, who was smiling.

"I believe you, Lucas."

Lucas returned her smile.

"I'm glad someone does."

Lucas placed the hat on his head (after dusting it off first, and checking for little "teeth marks"), and glanced at Angel again.

"How about a snack? Does that sound good?"

Angel nodded, and Lucas and Angel headed towards the hotel, but they almost ran into someone: someone very familar.

"Sorry--" Lucas started to say, but he frowned.

The lady happened to be none other than Mrs. Ashbury, and she scowled.

"Still the same old brute, aren't you, Mr. Grabeel?" she asked, and Angel whimpered, hiding behind Lucas.

"I see you haven't changed a bit, Mrs. Ashbury." Lucas replied, and Mrs. Ashbury frowned as she looked at Angel.

"So, I see she isn't neglected..."

Lucas frowned as he looked at the woman.

"Why are you here? We've adopted Angel, and you are fired--"

To his surprise, Mrs. Ashbury laughed: actually _laughed_!

"Oh, Mr. Grabeel: I was fired from Mr. Larson's firm, but I'm still in the business. I'm still a social worker. And Angel is still my client."

Lucas shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I fail to see that you are still Angel's social worker. We've adopted her and everything. Mr. Larson said so."

"No, I'm afraid he's wrong. I still have rights to see if she is being properly cared for."

Was she blind?

"We take very good care of her!" Lucas said, suddenly defensive.

"Oh, and why is she living in a hotel? On a _set_? Mr. Grabeel, when you apparently agreed to adopt Angel, you could atleast give her a proper house to live in!"

Lucas felt his fists cletch, but he glanced up at Mrs. Ashbury.

"Because me and Ashley aren't married! We're just dating!" Lucas practically yelled, and Mrs. Ashbury raised an eyebrow.

"Well, seeing if you are just dating, and not living together, I have no choice but to take Angel away." Mrs. Ashbury commented, and Lucas looked at her.

"You can't do that! Angel belongs with us!" Lucas replied, and Angel began to cry.

"I don't wanna leave! This is my home! Don't take me away from my family!"

Mrs. Ashbury pushed Lucas aside, and took hold of Angel's hand.

"You're coming with me. You will not see them, not while I'm around."

They started to walk away, and Lucas stopped them.

"You just can't take her away..."

Mrs. Ashbury looked at him.

"You have no choice, Mr. Grabeel."

Where were the rest of the Wildcats when you need them?

"But...--" Lucas explained, and Mrs. Ashbury shook her head.

"If you want, you can go to court with this."

What shocked him the most was the expression and what Angel said to him before they left:

She looked mad, with tears streaming her cheeks.

"You said you wouldn't let anything happen to me, Lucas! I hate you!"

Lucas felt his mouth open slightly.

"Angel..." he started to say, but they were already gone before Lucas got to say he was sorry.

What was he going to do now?

How was he going to tell this to the rest of the gang?

Especially to Ashley, who seriously loved the little girl as much as he did?

He felt a hand rest on his shoulder, and he didn't flinch when he turned around to find Vanessa standing there.

"What's wrong, Lucas? Where's Angel?"

Lucas shook his head: he was too shocked to say anything.

"Angel is...gone, Vanessa." he stated quietly, and Vanessa raised an eyebrow.

"Gone? Gone where?" Vanessa asked, and Lucas looked at her then.

"Mrs. Ashbury took her away, Vanessa. She said that Angel was still her client, and that she had every right to see if she was taken care of properly. I guess we didn't pass the test."

Vanessa looked at him for the longest time, and Lucas started to get worried.

"Vanessa?" he asked, and Vanessa shook her head.

"I don't believe it. How..._why_?" she asked, and Lucas looked at her.

"She moved to a different firm who looked up Angel's information, and I guess she got granted permission to be Angel's social worker again...Vanessa, I'm so sorry. I couldn't do anything to get her back."

"Did Angel say anything?" Vanessa asked, and Lucas nodded.

"Angel hates me now...I feel like I let her down when I said nothing will happen to her." Lucas commented, and Vanessa frowned.

"Lucas, of course not! You were a very good guardian to her!"

Lucas turned away from her, and went back to sit in his chair.

"What am I going to tell Ashley? She'll hate me as well." Lucas said, and Vanessa took the chair next to him.

"She will not. If you just explain our options, we can get Angel back."

"The only way we can get her back is if we go to court."

Vanessa nodded, and she became quiet.

Then, she finally spoke:

"Mrs. Ashbury is back."

And Lucas did not like it one bit.


	4. What Hurts The Most

**Author's Note: Here's chapter four! Before I leave tomorrow, I'll update both (or one) if I have time. Enjoy, and happy reading!**

**Chapter Four: What Hurts The Most**

"Angel is _where_?"

When Lucas told the other Wildcats about the accident with Mrs. Ashbury, they were all pretty shocked.

But, mostly Ashley, who probably wanted him dead right now.

"I told you: with Mrs. Ashbury." Lucas told the now angry blonde, and Ashley shook her head.

"I can't believe this! You except me to believe that Mrs. Ashbury went on to another firm, and asked if she could be Angel's social worker again? Lucas, why didn't you stop her?" Ashley asked, and Lucas looked at her.

"I tried, but she wouldn't let me explain."

Before Ashley could strike again, Zac spoke.

"Come on, guys. Fighting won't help us get Angel back."

"The only way we can get her back is through court." Vanessa explained, and Monique shook her head.

"That's impossible. No one will listen to us if Mrs. Ashbury tells them all kinds of lies."

"It isn't. As along as we tell them how much Angel likes us, and how we take care of her, they won't have to listen to Mrs. Ashbury." Lucas commented, and Corbin looked at him.

"What if she turns the tables on us, though?" Corbin asked, and everyone was silent.

Even if they would say that they did love Angel, Mrs. Ashbury would say that they didn't have proper shelter for a little girl.

Or the fact that Angel almost died that one day she visited the set.

Lucas looked at the five actors.

Didn't they believe that they could actually win?

Where was their Wildcat spirit?

"Guys, where is your spirit? Can't you see that we can win?"

It was Ashley who looked at him then.

"Don't you get it, Lucas? We won't win because Mrs. Ashbury will."

"Ashley, that's not true--"

But, he didn't get to finish as Ashley scooted back her chair, and everyone looked as Ashley slammed the door behind her.

It was silent until Vanessa got up from her chair.

"Maybe I should go after her."

Lucas got up as well.

"No. It was my fault. I'll go and talk to her."

After some searching around, he found Ashley in her trailer, laying on the couch, hugging a pillow, and crying softly.

"Ashley?" Lucas asked quietly, and Ashley looked up.

"Haven't you caused enough? You know we all loved that little girl!"

Lucas sighed as he went over, and Ashley made room for him.

"I know we all loved her, but that's why we need to go to court with this. Mrs. Ashbury had no right to do what she did."

Ashley wiped a tear away, and looked at him.

"But, she was Angel's social worker. She knows more about Angel than we do."

Lucas shook his head at her.

"That's not the point. She doesn't like Angel like we do. If Angel is in her care, she'll just make Angel's life crummy, and I don't want that."

Ashley gazed down at the floor instead of looking at him.

"Maybe we shouldn't have meddled with Angel's life. It caused so much trouble.."

Lucas looked at her.

"So, what you're saying is that you _wanted _Angel to go to a foster home instead of having us take care of her?" Lucas asked, and Ashley looked at him again.

"Of course not! If Mrs. Ashbury placed her in a foster home, it'd haunt me for the rest of my life."

Silence followed the couple, and Lucas remembered what Angel had told him before she left:

She never acted angry, nor would she ever hate a castmember: Angel loved them all, except for Lucas, that is.

"The main reason I want Angel back is because I want to tell her I really do care about her. She told me she hated me." Lucas replied, and Ashley's facial expression soften.

"Lucas, I'm sorry."

Lucas shook his head.

"Don't be. It's my fault I told her that I would never let anything happen to her, and now something did."

"It's not your fault. Even if Angel does hate you now, she'll go back to loving you. Remember, she liked you the most out of everyone."

Which was why it made her so angry: he lied to her, which was one of the things you shouldn't do to a child, especially someone like Angel, who probably have been lied to since day one.

"Ashley, I _lied _to her! That's why she is angry at me." Lucas exclaimed, and Ashley shook her head.

"Lucas, knowing Angel, she won't stay mad at you for too long. She loves everyone."

"Yeah, well, except for me. I can't blame her if she doesn't want to see my face again." Lucas replied, and Ashley looked at him, and gave him a smile.

"Come on: where's your Wildcat spirit? Not so long ago, you were telling us we're going to win this battle."

"It left with Mrs. Ashbury." Lucas stated, and Ashley grinned, throwing a pillow at him, and Lucas finally laughed as he caught the pillow, and threw it back at Ashley, who shierked, and she burst out laughing as well.

After their mini pillow fight, they were still laughing.

Lucas stood up just then, and looked at Ashley, who had a grin playing on her face.

"So, are you feeling better?"

Ashley nodded.

"Yeah, I guess--" she started to say, but she was cut off when Lucas' cellphone rang.

"Hello?" he asked when he picked it up.

"Mr. Grabeel, this is Mrs. Ashbury."

His hand tighten over the phone.

"Is Angel okay?" he asked, and he heard Mrs. Ashbury sigh.

"Of course, Mr. Grabeel. Now, I've arranged meeting in court on Friday morning. I'll bring Angel, and everything that I know. I suggest you better get your act together. If you think you're getting Angel from me this time, I won't let you."

"We'll just see about that, Mrs. Ashbury. Angel loves us."

"Except for _you_, Mr. Grabeel."

Her statement buzzed around him like an annoying bee, and he was reminded of Angel's harsh words and glare.

When Lucas didn't reply, Mrs. Ashbury did.

"Well, I better go. I'll see you later in court!"

Mrs. Ashbury disconnected them, and Lucas looked at Ashley, who looked at him.

"Have something really good to say in your defense, Ashley. Because we're getting Angel back no matter what."


	5. Love Is A Battlefield

**Author's Note: I hope everyone likes this chapter, because it kind of sucks. If anyone has ideas for my new Jonas Brothers story, PM me with ideas! Enjoy, and happy reading!**

**Chapter Five: Love Is A Battlefield**

Lucas was a nervous wreck on Friday.

Heck, everyone was a nervous wreck!

"What if we don't win? What if we don't get custody of her?" Ashley kept asking as the gang boarded the limo that faithful morning (Chris, Rayne, and Olesya decided to stay behind, but wished the main six Wildcats good luck).

"We will. I'm sure of it." Lucas explained, and before the limo pulled away, they heard a shout.

"Wait! Don't forget me!"

The six actors were surprised to see that Kenny was getting in the limo as well, and Lucas looked at him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, and Kenny looked at him.

"You guys need all the witnesses you can possibly get. And who can be better than the director who watched you guys bonded with that little girl?" Kenny asked, and Lucas nodded.

"Sounds fair."

When they got to the court house, several radio and television vans were parked outside, and police were trying to hold them back as the six actors made their way inside the white building.

They were also surprised to see two familar faces in the crowd: Jodie and Marie.

"Jodie! Marie! What are you doing here?" Lucas asked, and Marie looked at him.

"When we heard that Angel had been taken away from you guys, we were just shocked! There was no way you could have anything to harm Angel." Marie explained, and Lucas looked at her.

"Yeah, except for the lack of shelter and I don't have a wife at my side." Lucas replied, and Jodie smiled.

"Mr. Grabeel, I've seen you guys with that little girl. She loves you no matter if you live a cardboard box and have twenty-seven cats!"

Everyone gave the nurse a half-smile, and they walked inside the court room, where Lucas and Ashley took their seats in front of the judge.

Several more people began to arrive: some went on the Wildcats' side, others went to support Mrs. Ashbury.

Finally, the three remaining people arrived: The honorable Judge Carlson, Mrs. Ashbury, and Angel.

Mrs. Ashbury gave Lucas and Ashley a smile.

"Well, it's nice to see you again, Mr. Grabeel and Miss Tisdale."

Lucas looked down at Angel, who frowned.

The girl didn't seem to be herself: she looked sicker than she already was.

"I see Angel is doing well." Lucas responded, but that was a lie: Angel _was _well.

Mrs. Ashbury looked down at the younger girl.

"Yes, well, Angel had seen finer days. I brought her to the hospital not long after I brought her home, but she needs to be here."

Lucas just shook his head in anger.

"She should have stayed at the hospital! She looks awful!"

"Mr. Grabeel, I believe that is not your concern. You failed once, and she almost died. If I were you, I wouldn't get my hopes up for winning custody of her. By the end of this battle, she will be placed in a foster home just like I planned, and you will never see her again."

Lucas wanted to jump out his chair, and just smack the woman a cross the face, but Ashley placed a hand on his shoulder as Mrs. Ashbury and Angel went to the other table.

Lucas then turned to Ashley, who frowned.

"Did you hear what she said? Did you _look _at Angel?"

Ashley nodded silently, and Lucas looked at the other table.

To his surprise, Angel looked back at him, but she didn't try to smile:

She wore the saddest expression on her face, and that made Lucas hate Mrs. Ashbury even more.

Judge Carlson then called to order, and everyone rose, and then sat back down.

"We are gathered here today to hear the case of who gets custody of Angel Chaisty Robinson." Judge Carlson said, and looked out in the sea of people.

He then turned to Mrs. Ashbury.

"Mrs. Ashbury, if you would be so kind as to start first."

Mrs. Ashbury stood up, and looked at the crowd.

"Some of you might have children, grandchildren, nieces, or nephews who watched High School Musical a million times, and the actors who are sitting in front of you today are considered their idols. What did to my client was so horrifiying: they took her out of her evironment, and she basically died, without my permission, or knowing."

Lucas glared at the woman.

She doesn't have the right to accuse them: they knew what to do when she fell on the floor, coughing, and trying to breathe!

"Worst yet, Angel chose two people who aren't properly married, and live in a hotel--"

Judge Carlson banged his graval, breaking Mrs. Ashbury's rant.

"Mrs. Ashbury, that's quite enough. Mr. Grabeel, it's your turn now."

Lucas stood up, and gazed at the crowd.

"What she is telling you is a pack of lies. We love Angel to death. Sure, we don't have a house, and that me and Ashley aren't married, but we'd risk our lives before we let something happen to Angel. And everyone who sees us with her should know that as well."

Mrs. Ashbury looked at him with rage.

"Mr. Grabeel--"

Judge Carlson banged his graval again.

"Mrs. Ashbury, let him finish."

Lucas looked at the crowd again.

"Whatever the outcome of this battle comes too, I'll support Angel. If she isn't ours anymore, I just hope that where ever she is, she's happy. If we get to keep her, I'd be the happiest guy ever."

Lucas heard a sqeak, and he turned around to look at the remaining table where Angel sat, and he was shocked to see that she was _smiling_: the very opposite of what she was doing earlier when she came in.

Lucas sat back down, and Mrs. Ashbury glared at him.

"I hope you realize what you're getting yourself into."

Lucas gave her a half-smile.

"I'm not backing down without a fight. You don't scare me."

Mrs. Ashbury scowled at him, and returned to her table, and Mr. Carlson looked at the two tables.

"You will each have a witness or witnesses to call to the stands. Mrs. Ashbury, do you have anyone you'd like to call?"

Mrs. Ashbury looked down at Angel, and Angel looked at him.

"Mister Carlson, can I go up to the stands, please?"

Lucas smirked at her statement:

He realized that Angel didn't know that Judge Carlson was actually a judge.

"Of course you may, Angel."

Angel gave him a smile, proceeded to the stands, where a television set was set on a table, and Angel took out a tape, and placed in the DVD player, and then she turned to the crowd of people.

"To me, the Wildcats have always been my family."

And as the video began to play, Lucas smiled for the very time that day.


	6. How To Save A Life

**Author's Note: Here's chapter six! Enjoy, and happy reading!**

**Chapter Six: How To Save A Life**

After the video ran a good five minutes (the video recapped about how Angel dearly loved the Wildcats), Mrs. Ashbury had Angel come up to the stands to awnser some questions.

"Angel, do the Wildcats take of you properly like they say they have been doing?" Mrs. Ashbury asked, and Angel nodded.

"Yep. They take me everywhere with them, and we have lots of fun together."

Mrs. Ashbury frowned, and looked at Angel again.

"What if they weren't around to take you places? Who'd be in charge of you then?"

"Olesya Rulin and Rayne Sanborn." Angel responded, which was true:

If none of the main Wildcats were around to bond with Angel, it was usually Olesya and Rayne, who took their roles as part-time guardians seriously.

Mrs. Ashbury nodded again, and looked around before looking back at Angel.

"If there were ever a situation that you have a coughing attack, how would they handle it?"

Lucas looked at Ashley, and Ashley looked at him.

All the while that they had Angel, she never shown any signs of coughing, or struggling to breathe.

Angel looked at Mrs. Ashbury with a questioning look on her face.

"I don't know...I never--"

But, Mrs. Ashbury never let her finish as she twirled around to face the addressing crowd.

"There you have it! They say they know what do, but they are not prepared for the real thing. If Angel had a coughing attack, it'd just be another visit to the hospital."

Mrs. Ashbury shook her head.

"I'm ashamed. And you call yourselves guardians."

Lucas shook his head as he looked at the smug-looking woman.

"It's true that we never had Angel sick while we had her, but--"

A sound cut Lucas off, and everyone turned to the direction of the source that the sound was coming from:

Angel was coughing, and by the way her body was shaking, they seem to never stop.

Mrs. Ashbury was just standing in place, and Lucas looked at her.

"Well, don't just stand there! Do something!" he explained, and Mrs. Ashbury didn't move, and Lucas sighed as he and Ashley jumped out of their chairs, and went over to Angel.

"What should we do?" Ashley asked, and Lucas looked at Marie, who was sitting in the front row, next to Jodie.

Thank heavens that they had nurses on board!

"Jodie, Marie: what's the quickest way to help a cough?" Lucas asked, and Marie looked at him.

"Try pounding on her back. That always helped when she was in the hopsital."

Lucas did as he was told, and gave the little girl a few, good pounds on the back to loosen the coughing frenzy.

"What are you doing? You're going to hurt her!" Mrs. Ashbury cried, and Angel's coughs began to loosen, and when the final cough was issued out, Lucas grabbed the water glass that was near by, and handed it to her.

Angel took a long drink of water, and smiled up at Lucas.

Everyone sighed in relief, and as Ashley and Lucas went back to their seats, Lucas thought he saw a faint smile on Judge Carlson's lips, but he shook his head as he and Ashley sat back down.

Judge Carlson cleared his throat and looked at the crowd.

"Well...it seems after that...scene, I've made up my mind."

Mrs. Ashbury looked at the judge with a scowl on her face.

"Judge, you seriously can't decide after that!"

Judge Carlson looked at Mrs. Ashbury with a frown of his own.

"Mrs. Ashbury, that's enough. I haven't offically decided yet, but it will come to an outcome."

It was then that Judge Carlson called a break, and Angel got down from the stands, and spotted Lucas and Ashley.

She smiled, and started to run over there but Mrs. Ashbury stopped her, and Lucas noticed this.

"I wanna see Ashley and Lucas!" Angel explained, and Mrs. Ashbury looked down at her.

"You're still in my care. As long as you are, you can't see them."

"I don't agree to that, but it's a free country. She can see anyone she wants." Lucas said, walking over to the two, and Mrs. Ashbury scowled at him.

"Didn't you hear me?" she asked, and Lucas nodded.

"Of course. But, she's allowed to see anyone she wants. It's only fair."

Lucas leveled to Angel's height, and Mrs. Ashbury shook her head as she left them.

"Are you mad at me?" Angel asked, and Lucas gave her a smile in return.

"I'm not mad at you. I'm wondering if you are mad at _me_." Lucas replied, and Angel glanced down at her shoes.

"At first, but now I'm not."

See, Ashley was right after all!

Lucas smiled.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that."

"But, Mrs. Ashbury says you guys won't be my family anymore. She says I need to go to a new one." Angel commented, and Lucas just gave her another smile.

"Remember when I said that nothing will happen to you? I mean this time, and I always will have. You're really special to us, Angel, and I think everyone would be crushed if we don't get to keep you."

"I know.." Angel commented, giving him her famous smile, and Lucas grinned.

"But, I'm not saying that your new family will be nice as well. You might like them."

"No one could replace the Wildcats! You guys will be my family forever and ever."

Lucas laughed as he opened his arms, and Angel smiled as he gave her a hug.

"Yes, the Wildcats are your family, but if you love something or someone, you need to let them go." Lucas stated, and Angel frowned.

"I don't wanna leave you guys! I don't wanna go to a new home!"

He felt even guliter when she started to cry, and Mrs. Ashbury was back at their side faster than a hawk.

"Why is she crying? Did you say something to upset her?"

Lucas tore his eyes away from Angel, and looked at Mrs. Ashbury.

For the first time at all, Mrs. Ashbury seemed to care about Angel:

But, he knew better than to think she changed for the better.

"Of course not! Why would I do something like that? I may not be her present guardian, but I'd never do anything to make her upset."

Mrs. Ashbury took hold of Angel's hand, and glared at him.

"We'll see about that. Maybe your performance earlier impressed Judge Carlson, but I have ways to prove that you dont deserve to keep Angel."

Lucas frowned as her words hung in the air.

Will they be able to keep Angel, or will she gone from their lives forever?


	7. Is This Rock Bottom?

**Author's Note: Here's chapter seven! Enjoy, and happy reading!**

**Chapter Seven: Is This Rock Bottom?**

After the break ended, everyone was to report back to the court house.

Lucas was still mulling around about what Mrs. Ashbury had said:

What kind of proof would she have?

It wasn't like she visited Angel all the while Angel was on the set.

Ashley noticed this, and looked at him.

"It'll be alright, Lucas. Remember, you were the one who told us we could actually win this."

Oh, that seemed so long ago...

Lucas didn't respond as Judge Carlson entered the courtroom, and scanned the crowd.

"The case of custody for Angel Robinson is now contuining."

Mrs. Ashbury looked at Judge Carlson, and he glanced at her.

"Yes, Mrs. Ashbury?"

"If I may, I would like to point a few things out to you."

Judge Carlson nodded, and Mrs. Ashbury got up.

"While it's true that they seem capable of taking care of Angel, as seen earlier, but one of my main concerns is where they are currently living. The cast of High School Musical randomly selects a hotel, and then have trailers and a parking lot not far from it. If it ever the case that they got to keep Angel, I suggest they get an apartment, or a decent living arrangement. Or better, yet, Ashley and Lucas get married before thinking about rightfully adopting Angel."

Judge Carlson nodded, and looked at Lucas.

"Mr. Grabeel, do you have anything to say about that?"

Lucas stood up, and glanced at him.

"While it may be true about our living conditions, we really can't afford any apartment or a house. Kenny, our director, wants us near by so we can get together and work faster. As for me and Ashley getting married, were just dating for now."

"When you said that you couldn't afford a house or an apartment...does that mean money is tight?" Mrs. Ashbury asked, and Lucas gave her a frown.

"Of course not! Money is not an issue among us. We can paid generously." Lucas replied, and Mrs. Ashbury shook her head.

"Alright. What about if you are traveling? Who gets to take Angel with them?" Mrs. Ashbury asked, and Lucas looked at the Wildcats.

They never thought of that: it always seemed logically to just leave Angel at a Wildcat's parent's house, preferably, Vanessa's house.

"Well, we were just going to leave Angel at Vanessa's house." Lucas replied, and Angel looked at him.

"But, I wanna go with you guys!"

"Hush, Angel." Mrs. Ashbury explained, and she looked at Lucas.

"Atleast you have some common sense." Mrs. Ashbury explained, and Lucas scowled at her.

They weren't kids, nor teenagers, aside from Corbin.

Let's just say, _young adults_.

"Yes." Lucas responded.

"What about her schooling? She never had a proper education while she was in the hospital. She entirely missed out on preschool, and kindergarten."

"We can home-school her. She doesn't have to go to an actual school." Lucas commented, and Mrs. Ashbury's frown went deeper.

"Mr. Grabeel, she needs to interect with children! She cannot hang out with you guys all day!"

"For your information, she likes to hang us." Lucas told her icily, and Mrs. Ashbury looked rather shocked at his tone.

"Mr. Grabeel--" she started to say, but Judge Carlson banged his graval for attention.

"Mrs. Ashbury, there shall be no fighting whatsoever in my courtroom, and not in front of Angel."

Mrs. Ashbury looked at him.

"How can you blame me? Mr. Grabeel started it."

Several people snickered, and Lucas heard Corbin ask, "Is she serious?"

"He was only defending himself. There's no need to point fingers." Judge Carlson stated, and Mrs. Ashbury looked furious.

"How could that be defending? He was basically mouthing off to me!"

Judge Carlson banged his graval again.

"Mrs. Ashbury, one more word out of you, and you're dismissed."

That quickly shut Mrs. Ashbury up, and Judge Carlson looked at Lucas.

"Alright, Mr. Grabeel: your closing statement, please."

Lucas looked at Judge Carlson.

"If we don't get picked to be in custody of Angel, I just want to say that I'll support her where ever she goes, and I hope she's happy. And I really love her, and she means more to us than we ever thought she would be."

When Lucas turned to face the crowd, he thought he saw several people wiping away tears from their eyes.

That was a good sign...right?

Judge Carlson looked at Mrs. Ashbury.

"Okay, Mrs. Ashbury. Your turn."

Mrs. Ashbury looked at the crowd of people like Lucas did.

"If you want to support the Wildcats, that's fine. But, if you believe that Angel should be placed in a foster home, consider coming on to my side. I believe that Angel should be properly cared for by an actual family, not a group of _young adults _protray teenagers."

Lucas felt his hands roll up in balls as he looked at Mrs. Ashbury.

"Very well...Jury, of you'd come with me, we'll discuss this matter."

"I'll come with you."

Judge Carlson looked at Mrs. Ashbury.

"No. You're not part of the jury."

"But, I would like to have a word with you before you decide."

Lucas' gut told him that sentance was bad enough already.

"Lucas, I really don't like the sound of this."

Lucas looked over at Ashley, who had a frown on her face.

"It's okay, Ash. We're going to win this." Lucas commented, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, and finally, the jury, Judge Carlson, and Mrs. Ashbury all came back into the room.

Judge Carlson cleared his throat, and looked at the crowd.

"Well, it has came to my attention that there were other things that Lucas didn't tell me, so...by the power invested in me, I declare that Angel is in the custody of Mrs. Ashbury!"

And to Lucas, he felt as if time had stopped.


	8. That's How You Know

**Author's Note: Sadly, this story is coming to an end. I'm doing one finally chapter, and then that's it. I'm glad everyone liked this story, and I'm super-glad you guys had to read what I dished out as "court scenes", and I know they sucked, but I guess they were good. This chapter, like the previous ones, might be cheesy (and a bit weird), but I think you'll like it. Enjoy, and happy reading!**

**Chapter Eight: That's How You Know**

The room fell silent, but not for long:

Alot of people were protesting that what Mrs. Ashbury did was wrong, and Judge Carlson banged his graval.

"Enough! I know it isn't fair, but this is how it goes."

Lucas opened his mouth, but then he closed it again.

The Wildcats lost.

They actually _lost_.

The other Wildcats looked as shocked as he was, and he heard Ashley start to cry as well.

"There you have it. You had hope you could actually win, but you didn't. You're just a bunch of actors, not a little girl's family." Mrs. Ashbury stated, and Angel looked over at the Wildcats.

Lucas walked over to her, and gave her a smile, after what had just happened.

"Well, Angel, I guess this is good-bye."

Angel looked up at him, her blue eyes clouding with confusion.

"What? Why?" the little girl asked, and Lucas gestured to the Wildcats.

"We can't keep you. You're going to a foster home." Lucas explained, and Angel looked back at the Wildcats, who were getting up, and Vanessa was trying to comfort a still crying Ashley.

"B--but, I don't wanna go! I wanna stay with you guys!" Angel cried, and Lucas sighed.

"It's not going to go that way, Angel."

"Lucas, I don't wanna go! Do something!" Angel shot back, crying herself, and Lucas shook his head as he leaned down to give the little girl a hug, and a kiss on the top of her head.

"I can't. We lost." Lucas responded, and he stood up, backing away slowly, and Angel stood up in her chair.

"Lucas!" she yelled, and Lucas pretended not to hear her as he opened the court doors, and the rest of the Wildcats, plus Kenny, were sitting on the steps, but none of them wanted to go into the limo.

"I can't believe we're not going to keep Angel." Zac stated, and everyone nodded.

Lucas sat down near Ashley, who was drying the last of her tears away.

"It's not going to be the same." Ashley choked out, and Kenny stood up.

"Well, I guess we can go..."

But, none of the Wildcats moved from their spots.

"Kenny, how can we go back?" Corbin asked, and Monique nodded.

"It won't be the same anymore."

Kenny looked at them, and he sighed.

"Come on, guys. Just because--"

"Angel, come back here!"

They all turned around as Angel came flying out of the court house, and hugged Lucas around the waist.

"I don't wanna go! I wanna stay with you guys!" she commented, and Lucas shook his head as Mrs. Ashbury and Judge Carlson came out of the court house as well.

"Angel Robinson, what do you think you're doing? Unwrap yourself from Mr. Grabeel!" Mrs. Ashbury exclaimed, and Angel looked up.

"No! I don't wanna go to a new home! The Wildcats are my family, and you can't make me go!"

"Angel, you have no choice. You need to come with me." Mrs. Ashbury said sternly, and Angel just stayed firmly attached to Lucas' waist.

Lucas looked up at Mrs. Ashbury.

"What about Angel? I think she gets a say in what she wants to do."

Mrs. Ashbury looked at Judge Carlson, and he smiled.

"And Angel wants to be with you guys."

Mrs. Ashbury shook her head at him.

"Judge Carlson--"

Judge Carlson looked at Mrs. Ashbury.

"Mrs. Ashbury, wasn't it you that told me that Angel almost got killed on the set of High School Musical? I believe that none of these actors would ever do any harm to a child such as Angel." Judge Carlson stated, and looked at the Wildcats, whose sullen expressions turned into a ray of hope.

Lucas smiled, and looked at Judge Carlson.

"Does that mean we can keep Angel?" he asked, and Judge Carlson gazed at him.

"Well, after what I've seen today, it seems you can handle Angel pretty well. And she really seems to love you guys very much."

"That's what we've been saying. I mean, if she were ever to be taken away from us, we didn't know what we'd do." Lucas explained, and Judge Carlson nodded.

"I see."

Beside him, Mrs. Ashbury was getting furious.

"Judge, I thought we'd agree to let Angel go into foster care?"

Lucas looked at her.

"And maybe you shouldn't be a social worker anymore. It seems to me that you never liked kids in the first place, and always want to rip families apart. I think you should be banned from being a social worker, and do what you do best: being a grumpy old lady."

Everyone smirked, and Angel laughed at his response, and Mrs. Ashbury looked madder than ever as she looked at Judge Carlson.

"Did you just hear what he just said?"

Judge Carlson nodded.

"Of course I did, and I think I agree with him. Well, not on his choice of words, but I fully agree with Mr. Grabeel." Judge Carlson commented, and for the first time at all, Mrs. Ashbury was speechless.

"I...--"

Judge Carlson looked away from her before she got a word out, and he smiled as he gazed at Angel, who was still clutching to Lucas' waist.

"Angel, would you like to stay with the Wildcats?"

Her eyes grew wide:

It was as if she was just asked if she would like to raid a candy store.

"By a whole lot!" she explained, and everyone laughed, aside from Mrs. Ashbury.

"It's settled then." Judge Carlson said, and every Wildcat had a big smile on their face.

"B--but.." Mrs. Ashbury started to say, and Judge Carlson turned to her.

"I think we have some business to discuss."

It was until that the doors closed, and everyone didn't say a sound.

But, a few minutes later, it was broken by everyone celebrating:

Jumping up and down, laughing, and basically realizing that Angel was once again theirs to take care of.

Lucas looked down at Angel, who gave him a toothy grin in return.

Lucas burst out laughing as he picked her up, and Angel shierked in laughter as he looked at her.

"You don't know how much I was going to miss you."

Angel smiled, and just responded by giving Lucas a hug.

Finally, the little girl had a home.


	9. Ever Ever After

**Author's Note: I'm sorry if the beginning is a little weird: but, this is suppose to wrap things up, so of course it's suppose to be funny (and I guess a little stupid). Also, this entire story was in the point of view of Lucas, and I never had a story that dealt with a single character's point of view. But, I hoped you guys all enjoyed this story, and go vote in the poll if you haven't done so already. Keep watch for another chapter of Touched By An Angel, and my new story!**

**Chapter Nine: Ever Ever After**

"Can you take me shopping, Lucas?"

All Lucas wanted to do was sleep, but Angel was starting to act like Ashley:

Waking up at six, and deciding she wanted to go somewhere at seven-thirty in the morning.

"Not now, Angel. Wait until my break." Lucas stated, opening an eye to look at her, and Angel frowned.

"How long would that be?"

Lucas sighed, and picked up Angel so she was on his lap, and showed her his watch,

"Right now, it's seven-thirty in the morning. Our first break isn't until twelve-thirty in the afternoon."

Angel looked at him.

"I have to wait until _twelve-thirty_? That's not fair, Lucas!"

Lucas chuckled.

"Life's not fair, kiddo." he said, grabbing Angel by the waist, and got up from the chair, which he shouldn't have not done.

It was several days after the Wildcats regained custody of Angel, and Kenny had been working them hard:

Especially now that Angel was back on board, Lucas doubt no one would get back to sleep.

"Please can we go shopping? Pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top?" Angel asked, and Lucas shook his head.

"No. I'm tired. Besides, we're going to be starting a couple of minutes."

Angel pouted, and Lucas smiled as they joined Ashley, Vanessa, and Zac at a refreshment table complete with coffee, rolls, and pitcher of apple juice just for Angel.

"Hey." Lucas explained, and Ashley, Vanessa, and Zac gave him blank, sleepy stares, and Lucas burst out laughing as he set Angel down, and she ran over to them, shouting:

"Wake up, sleepy-heads!"

Ashley was the first one to fully shake her head, but then she rested her head on Lucas' shoulder.

"I want to go back to sleep." she replied, and Lucas grinned as he kissed her on the top of her head.

"No can do. There's no going back to sleep now, Ash." Lucas told her, and Ashley groaned as Vanessa started to giggle at the couple's conversation, and woke up Zac by elbowing him in the ribs.

"Ow...that hurt." Zac explained, totally out of it, and Lucas, Ashley, and Vanessa burst out laughing as Angel came back, holding on to Corbin's hand as Monique followed them.

"Raise and shine!" Monique replied, and everyone groaned as Monique shook her head, and looked at Corbin.

"Why are we so perky this morning?"

Corbin looked at Ashley, who was half-a-sleep on Lucas' shoulder.

"I think someone forgot to get their Starbucks coffee this morning."

"Uh...Starbucks was closed." Ashley explained, as Angel giggled, and she tugged on Ashley's hand.

"Come on, Ashley: stay awake." Angel commented, because even the little girl knew that Ashley couldn't function without coffee in the morning.

"I think all four of you should stay awake." Kenny objected, coming up to them, and giving them a smile.

Lucas smirked at Ashley, who had her eyes closed.

"I don't think half of us are awake to act today, Kenny."

Kenny laughed as he looked at Ashley.

"Fine, fine. Maybe instead of your break being twelve-thirty, we'll just start at twelve-thirty. How does that sound to everyone?"

Everyone nodded as Kenny walked away, and Lucas nudged Ashley.

"Come on, Ashley: I don't need to be your pillow all the time."

"But you're so comfortable!"

Everyone laughed at her remark, and Lucas rolled his eyes as Ashley smiled, and lifted her head from his shoulder.

"I wanna go shopping!"

Lucas gaze down at Angel, who tugging at his pant leg.

Lucas remembered his promise, and looked at the other Wildcats.

"Guys, I guess I have to take this little girl shopping."

He then looked at Ashley, who was grinning.

"Hey! It's not my fault I dragged her into the shopping world!"

"Of course it wasn't." Lucas explained, and took hold of Angel's hand as they headed towards the parking lot.

"Thanks for taking me shopping, Lucas." Angel replied, and Lucas looked at her.

"No problem, Angel." Lucas stated, as he headed towards the direction of Cottonwood Mall.

The mall was already crowding with people, even at seven-thirty in the morning.

"So, where do you want to go first, Angel?" Lucas asked, and Angel pointed towards a store:

Claire's, of all places.

Of course, no guy would ever want to step foot into Claire's, but because he had Angel with him, he couldn't back down.

"Alright. Let's head over to Claire's then."

A small mob of girls of all ages were browsing the store, and Lucas amused over the section of High School Musical stuff.

Angel was over by the earrings department, and Lucas smiled at her.

"Picking out some new earrings, Angel?"

Angel nodded as she watched the rotating earring case, and she smiled up at him.

"I saw some music note earrings. They were really cool."

Lucas decided that was what she wanted, so he caught the attention of a giel not older than twenty.

"What can I help you with?" the girl asked, and Angel pointed to the case.

"I want some music note earrings." Angel explained, and the girl nodded.

"Coming up." the girl replied, and took the earrings out from the case, and handed them to her.

"Thanks!" Angel stated, giving the girl her famous smile, and the girl laughed as she looked at Lucas.

"Aww, she's so cute! Is she your little sister?"

Figuring that would be the safest route to take, Lucas nodded.

"Yeah. She is. Don't we look alike?" he asked, and the girl laughed again.

"You're too funny!" she exclaimed as she went away to help some other customers, and Angel looked at Lucas.

"She liked you." Angel pointed out, and Lucas grinned.

"No. She liked me because she thought you were my sister."

When it came time to pay, the same girl who helped them out rang up Angel's earrings, and Lucas paid for them.

"You know...didn't anyone tell you that you look like Lucas Grabeel from High School Musical?" the girl asked, and Lucas looked at her with a smile.

"Yeah, I get that all the time."

The girl smiled as she handed Angel her bag.

"Thank you!" Angel explained, and the girl looked at her.

"Your welcome. Have a nice day."

They exited the store, and Lucas checked his watch:

It was almost eight-thirty, and by the time they got back, it'd almost time for them to start shooting some scenes.

"Well, Angel. I guess our shopping trip has to end."

Angel looked at him.

"Aren't you going to get anything for Ashley?"

"Yeah...maybe on the way home I can get her some Starbucks. They must be open by now."

As Angel looked at her purchase, Lucas thought about what happened these past few days.

It could have been a miracle that made the Wildcats get Angel back, and Lucas did believe miracles.

Just like he'd believe in fairytales, which always ended with a happy ever after.


End file.
